Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough one to review because I have different options about it from a craft perspective and from a teen perspective. Overall, I give it a 2.5: dead average. I thought it was objectively bad but that teens will enjoy it.

PLOT

A forbidden romance between a pop star inducted into a private spy agency and the “annoying” secret agent tasked with pretending to be his bodyguard. Together, under the guise of putting on a private concert, they try to take down an evil millionaire who has been trafficking illegal chemical weapons.

The two protagonists spend some time processing personal grief and loss from their pasts. Much of this content is not resolved, especially for Sidney, who seems to still have lingering issues of self-worth and bad coping mechanisms (like kleptomania) to deal with her pain. Winter gets a little bit more resolution.

Most of the page time is taken up by the intrigue and mystery elements, since Winter and Sidney are in denial about their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the drama very intriguing or mysterious—it was incredibly predictable.

The story ends with (SPOILERS) the two protagonists acting as secret agent partners, at least on a temporary basis. It’s flirty but … we also know they can’t truly be together in this scenario, even though they both know they like each other, so … I wish they wanted more for themselves than a half life of pining.

I wish Marie Lu would’ve leaned into the campiness of the premise! It’s such a ridiculous concept, and I think it would’ve been more fun to lean into the ridiculousness, make it a little funny. However, the story is very self-serious to its own detriment.

WRITING

At its best, Marie Lu’s prose is generic. There’s not much razzle-dazzle to be had here, but it’s at least approachable for younger readers. I’d feel fine giving this one to a tween or younger teen.

Often, though, the prose is straight-up clumsy and stilted. Sometimes it was funny on accident. A few lines jumped out at me. (I’m paraphrasing, but because this was an audiobook and not a proof, I expect them to appear in the final publication too.)

- Winter froze [in surprise].
- He lowered the trigger [of the gun] at her.
- [Xyz] trickled ease into her steps. (As opposed to “[xyz] eased her steps.)

The flashbacks are especially inelegant.

It reads like fanfic, which makes me grind my teeth, but luckily for the author, teens love fanfic.

REPRESENTATION

Our pop star, Winter Young, is Chinese-American, and that’s explored a little. The highlight of the audiobook was that the narrator could read the Chinese passages.

There is also a character who wears a hijab and a few queer characters, including Winter, who is bi, but these are only mentioned in passing. I think bi teens will be happy for the representation, but novels like “I’ll be the One” and “Off the Record” offer much more in that department.

There is no racism, sexism, or homophobia depicted in the story.

CONTENT WARNINGS

Mention of domestic abuse (including of a minor), alcohol, gun violence, murder and depiction of death onscreen.

No cursing, if that’s important to you.

RECOMMENDATION

I think fans of K-pop fiction will have fun with this. It would also appeal to romance readers, but I don’t think it’ll satisfy fans of mysteries.

Here we have the story of Winter, a pop superstar, and the Panacea Group wants him to infiltrate a crime lord's inner circle. Enter Sydney, an up and coming spy. In order for this mission to work, she's going to pose as Winter's bodyguard. There's only one problem. She can't stand the guy.

Oh I wanted to like this book so bad. I mean what a cool premise, right? A pop star and a spy! Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. First of all (ignoring the fact that I couldn't stand the name Winter), I felt like there was no chemistry between these two. Just zero. Not even a spark. And this is supposed to be enemies to lovers right? Aside from that, I had a hard time caring about any of these characters. They were just so one-dimensional. Because of all this, the story just didn't vibe with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Becca Q. Co was a fine narrator. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC audiobook. Cute YA book and reminded me of some Pitch Perfect 3 situations. I really enjoy books about musicians and spies and this is good for young adults. I think maybe the audiobook narrator is wasn’t the right person for this story. I think there should have been a male and female narrator. 3.5 stars overall.

Stars and Smoke definitely lived up to Marie Lu standards! It feels - at least to me - like a departure from her other YA fiction series since it is set in modern times and a mystery/suspense unlike, say, the Legend trilogy or the Skyhunter duology.
The characters are rich and complex and though she takes time to feed in their backstories, it doesn’t feel like the story drags in those parts. Both Sydney & Winter have traumas in their pasts - mainly the loss of a loved one and parental abuse/neglect - and those traumas have helped shape who they are in the story. Trust doesn’t come easy to either of them, but as their lives become more entangled they each learn that the other is more than they appear to be.

It is a quick-paced read that will draw you in and make you not want to put it down! I will definitely be recommending it to my students!

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4.5 stars! What an enjoyable book!

Pop stars + spies+ a dash of romance

I absolutely loved Winter. What a great main character. I love a pop star with a heart of gold. Sydney was wonderful too and their partnership was so fun and full of chemistry.

The story was crafted so well and I immediately want the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an advanced audiobook copy.

4.5 stars!!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Marie Lu, and Macmillan audio for an ALC of this outstanding book!!

This was such a fun read!! I am so glad I spotted Marie Lu's name while browsing netgalley because wow, that was so good!!

The dynamics between Winter and Sydney were just amazing. I really enjoyed spy tech. The weapons and tools were VERY cool. Winter's life as a popstar was also so interesting.

This would make an AMAZING movie!!!!!!!!!!

Winter Young, global pop phenomenon, isn’t a spy. Or at least, he wasn’t until an infamous criminal billionaire wants his daughter’s favourite superstar to perform at her birthday bash. The Panacea Group needs him to infiltrate the billionaire’s inner circle, in hopes of stopping plans of chemical weapons being transported overseas. And his partner? Posing as his bodyguard, Sydney Cossette is the youngest agent on Panacea’s books, and perhaps the only person unaffected by Winter’s charms. This is her chance to prove herself for a promotion, and nothing, not even this A-lister, will stand in her way. As they grow closer over the mission, these unlikely partners start to prove they have what it takes to stop utter disaster.

This was such a fun book - it reminded me a bit of the Gallagher Girls series by Abby Carter, but with bigger stakes. There was lots I didn’t expect, and that I hope will surprise other readers too(hence, the vagueness of my description here).

I appreciated how it showed off the skill that Sydney and Winter both had. Winter’s skills of performing helped keep his cover, and Sydney’s years of training kept her on the hunt for anything that seemed off.

The narration was great, and I also liked the dialogue between Agent A and B at certain points - the classified items being bleeped out was a nice touch. I’m excited to listen to more of Becca Q. Co’s other narrations!

While this is the first of a series, the ending was survivable and knowing there’s more on the way makes me heart so happy!. I think so many people will find this as fun as I did. Another winner for Marie Lu!

Genre: Contemporary YA

Winter Young skyrocketed his way to fame from backup dancer to pop star. And now, a secret spy agency called Panacea wants to recruit him to help with a mission to bring down criminal tycoon Eli Morrison, who has been shipping illegal bioweapons internationally. Their in will be a private birthday party for Eli’s socialite daughter who happens to be a big fan of Winter’s. Working with him is Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest operative, who will pose as his bodyguard. Sydney doesn’t trust Winter, whom she assumes is a spoiled pop star, but his mettle in training gives her some hope he won’t get them all killed.

I know, I know, what is Meg doing reading a contemporary YA romance? Marie Lu is one of my favorites from the days when I read more YA. Lu’s writing has a great blend of character development and plot, and I’ve always liked her twists. The main characters are nineteen, so on the cusp of adulthood, and the only thing juvenile about the book is that the motivations of the main characters are in fact the motivation of nineteen-year-olds. Winter and Sydney are richly layered, and we see facets of their personalities from their own perspectives, but even more from what they can glean (correctly or not) from each other.

This is light, fun, and very fast paced. I was hooked almost immediately. The narrator for the audiobook was quite good: Becca Q. Co.